Google acquires company known for animal robots

Dec. 16, 2013
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by Jessica Durando, USA TODAY Network

by Jessica Durando, USA TODAY Network

Google is scooping up robotics firms like nobody's business, buying eight in six months. The tech giant confirmed Friday its latest acquisition with Boston Dynamics, an engineering company known for developing battlefield bots for the U.S. military.

It's unknown how much Google paid for Boston Dynamics or what exactly Google plans to do with all the robot knowledge, according to the New York Times. But it is part of a bigger push into the field of robotics led by Andy Rubin, the man who developed the Android platform for smartphones, according to CNN Money.

The impressive robots made by Dynamics include one called the Cheetah, which holds the record for fastest legged robot in the world and another named Atlas, a humanoid robot that climbs using hands and feet.